I wanted to write a few words in support of International Transgender Visibility Day! As a social worker interested in LGBTQIA+ issues and working in those spaces, I try promote issues relating to the trans experience in my practice. As a writer/reader, I appreciate stories such as ‘Julian is a Mermaid’ that show and validate the trans perspective.

But even though books like Julian is a mermaid are important, I also love stories that include transgender and gender diverse characters, without making that their whole characterisation and goal of a story.

This is one of those ‘death of the author’ poems I alluded too that would come in this collection. I am so interested in what other people think this poem is about, so shoot me a message on my social medias or leave a comment below!

As promised in the author’s comments section, I will expand upon the River Nile and Styx reference. Although this comes from Egyptian mythology, I also use Biblical mythology along with the more poignant Greek Mythology to represent the conflux of my personal writing identity. When writing, I often feel I need a period of going down a metaphorical ‘River Styx’ to get me to flourishing and blooming, similar to the bounties of the flood that the Nile produces. Usually though, it is hard to articulate this.

But who am I to suggest such a flow

A stream of vacant words is all I know

The most obvious reference to Penelope is about me standing tall and waiting for sailors. I say I usually wait for the right idea, wait the right prose to hit me, wait until I have free time to end up writing… but, yes you guessed it, that’s a lie. Focus is usually hard that erupts in life and usually I miss chances that I could use to further hone in on my craft. The cave I refer to that other sailors, which are interchangeable with other authors or other ideas for writing I might have, go to is a metaphor isolation that is often paired with the hobby of writing. Similar to that of a grave, which is why I use the rhyming scheme of grave/cave.

I wait, wait, wait. But wait, that’s a lie.

The alliteration of ‘typewriter’s’, ‘tent’ and ‘temporary’ attempts to produce the feeling of short-lived moment, such as the purpose of ‘tent’ and the nostalgia of writing on a ‘typewriter’. Unlike Penelope, I make the remark saying that I am unable to wait, calling back on the Adam reference in the last stanza with the rib. The quickie exorcist is reference to trying to find ways to revive old stories, that have been lost to my own dedication to my craft. Stories, characters and entire worlds I have cast aside to remain loyal to a specific piece of work. Below, I do see grass in terms of fertility of ideas but remaining forward, I will be burdened by not being able to tap into everything I would love to work with.

More ghosts undulate through this hall everyday Scoured by a quickie exorcist who shall prey.

Thank you for getting down here and getting to know a little bit more of what I am rambling about. If you have any interpretations for yourself, I would so love to hear them in the comments or in my social medias!

First thing, I would like to extend my thoughts and support to the Muslim/Islamic community and towards our global friends in New Zealand. If anyone needs some support after this event, please don’t hesitate to reach out to your local support services. I also extend this post as an invitation for anyone affected to message me on my social media or email if they need to discuss what happened. (Those should be in the side bar or bottom bar)

Every racist persons needs to be held responsible for the creation of this tragedy. Every man, woman and smart-ass person in the comment sections on Facebook need to be held accountable for what happened to the Muslim community. Every politician who victim blames needs to be exposed for the supremacist they are.

Although censorship is always a tricky area, contributing to knowledge on this disgusting event by watching his video or reading the work does nothing but exalt radical right-wing ideologies. Please, do not expose yourself to it. Do not give this horrid creature what he wants.

Instead, support our Muslim friends, our Muslim children, our Muslim family, workmates, students, religious leaders and even strangers of our community. I am very much invested in the concept of Ubuntu (“I am because we are”) and since I found out what happened, I have been hurt and shocked.

For people who say this happens to other countries regularly, I am hurt for them as well. But the reason I speak about this more is because I am accustomed to western society. This happened in the western world, in a country so small and so close to where I live. In terms of number of deaths, it was equal to 3,125 people if the same percentage was in America.

And please in this distressing time, take care of yourself. Right now, I am fuelled by anger towards how this could have happened. Because I know how. Racism created this terrorism. There is no other way of putting it. Xenophobia, ignorance and hatred has been stained onto the Islamic community, unjustly! A community that I share knowledge and culture with has been traumatised by the acts of terror.

Today is International Women’s Day! I want to take the time to mention some of the positive women who have influenced my life!

First would have to be my mother:

Most of my values of just being a good human being and respecting other people have come from her. She is a sweet, fierce, kind, forward-thinking, collected and assertive woman. She has helped help shape my values of helping others in my profession but also with being genuine and real with people.

Secondly would be my sisters:

All three have taught me different lessons, about being myself, about how to take-care of myself and how to stand-up for myself. Those three have really shaped how I assert my self in my everyday interactions and how I keep things mellow.

Thirdly would be my friends:

I would mention them all by name, but in reality all of my female friends have impacted how I am a man. Many have taught me emotional tolerance, inspired and instigated my own creativity, and have given me the avenue to explore my hobbies and interests.

Thank you to all the females in my life! Thank you for making me a better person. I aspire to help in anyway I can to contribute to equality!

Sometimes, people are so afraid of being labelled a ‘feminist’ they will start their sentence, thought or idea by saying…

“I’m not a feminist but women should be treated equally.”

Some guy at some point in time, probably.

Feminism as a movement has been and will continue to be about getting equality for women and advocate for the same rights and decency that men experience. Although some people think ‘Egalitarianism‘ is a good word to describe it, feminism focuses on gender usually (without going too deep).

To which, I would reply with the following. You don’t need to be afraid of that term, and you should really reconsider the usage. ‘Feminazi’ is used badly as another way (well, as suggested by the oxford dictionary for political slang) of saying a ‘determined feminist’. It is actually quite a derogatory term and when someone is labelled a feminazi, it usually isn’t because of their radical ideas but rather miscommunication or vilification. There may be extreme ideologies but you will find them so few and sparse within the theory/movement.

You are a feminist if you do these things:

Respect women (and not for your own benefit but because you genuinely respect them)

Thats it. Thats the catch-all.

Some who may be tilting their heads may say, “But men suffer problems and don’t get attention and have higher suicide rates and not being able to express emotion… etc.”

And if you are concerned about those problems, great! You are even more of a feminist! Because those are feminist issues. Because toxic masculinity deems you cannot cry, you cannot express emotion and permits this harm. It categorises emotion and ‘girly things’ as ‘not manly’ and as such, you become a target for expressing any femininity. Yes, those issues stated may affect men, but they are rooted in assumptions of what is appropriate gender expression for a man which is often seen as not anything that woman can do.

I wrote this article/blog post in response to common people being afraid of identifying as feminist. You need to know, that being a feminist is not a bad thing! This is particularly targeted to men and women who think negatively of the term feminist to help challenge assumptions about the word and about the lens and movement.

However, I am always interested in continuing this discussion so leave a comment if you so inclined or hit me up on one of my social medias!

“When Winter is Expected” is the poem where it all (conceptually speaking) began for the ‘Autumn, That Bastard‘ collection. I wrote this poem after my dog, Lilly, passed away. The poem is a reflection of both her and myself in the Autumn that is ageing and time.

There is one or two characters in this poem, depending how you look at it. These two characters are, symbiotic. The only defining character trait of both that unite then is their genders being the same. This is a reference to both me and Lily being young and old, both of us being both of these things at once. I intentionally confuse the audience with who the girl is and who the other woman is. Although it does not make for crisp reading, its a way for met to express the discrepancy of ageing and how confronting it is in this situation.

Her eyes are washed with cerulean;Of the stream and the moss afloat,Of hybrids of delphinium, iris and hydrangeas,Of afore her eyes, the girl’s yellow dress and the sky above.

Stanza 2

The river’s are another reference to our lives being on the same trajectory and slowly branching off and running away from the girls sprint ahead. ‘No false mower’ is a reference to not denying her favourite activity, which was to go on walks and be ahead of me (which is the girl is a head of the lady).

At every glance from the girl, she can’t help but turn aside.

Stanza 3

The tagline for the whole ‘Autumn, That Bastard’ collection comes from here. “Savour the warmth for winter is expected to come.” Savouring the warmth refers to keeping up the good times with her in her final weeks and preparing for the winter of grief that would come after. Again, this is applicable for both me and for her.

Run into the sun that sets, swallow the light.Savour the warmth, for winter is expected to come.

Stanza 7

Thank you for checking out this little discussion on my poetry!

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Check out other poems from the ‘Autumn, That Bastard’ poetry collection.